Live Rounds (Challenge)

I pulled the trigger. It's amazing how many thoughts my human
mind could squeeze into those few seconds. He stood there- my
best friend, but was he still a friend? Nick, we were closer than
brothers and the bond between brothers was eternal, unbreakable.
He'd murdered my sister for reasons he could not explain or
perhaps just would not. My eyes filled with a pool of tears, the
bloodshot veins in the whites giving on a pink tint. But no
amount of tears could wipe away the picture of that night. Seeing
my sister, my own blood kin crumpled and lifeless in my fathers
arms, and hearing the heartbreak between my mothers sobs. I
wasn't prepared for each sorry given from strangers or the
embarrassed mumbles of their pity. None of them could ever be as
sorry as Nick was. His eyes were pleading despeate and
half-crazed. They were not the eyes of a cold blooded killer.
They were the eyes of an innocent man who had made a mistake.
Which is why the pistol I chose was empty.

He mouthed words that I couldn't distinguish but the message was
clear on his face. I'd forgiven him long ago without even
realising. But I couldn't live in this world alongside my friend
forever knowing he made me lose a sister. No longer would I have
someone to tease, someone to take the blame for. I could never
again pull on her hair or be told off for annoying her. I did not
know if there was a Heaven but I was willing to take the chance.
I grabbed the other pistol and the hard cold metal was heavy yet
comforting in my practised hands. I pointed it to my chin and
pulled the trigger. Nick's face would stay with me to the grave,
along with his cries of pain- there was understanding in that
pain clear as a bell. He knew that I had to do this.